Part 2 of this series will talk a little more about structuring a program and the exercises you should include.

One of the most important aspects of strength training for sports is to hit a wide range of muscle groups in a single session. This differs to bodybuilding where you may just do 1-2 muscle groups in a session, ie chest/triceps, back/biceps. This is an excellent method for building size but will often leave you sore for days afterwards, something we want to try to avoid so that we aren’t tired for our BJJ sessions. A useful way to structure workouts for strength training beginners is to have a push day and a pull day, which may look something like this:

Push - This session will hit the legs (quads/glutes), chest, shoulders and triceps

Lower body push - Barbell squat
Upper body horizontal push - Dumbell chest press
Lower body push - Split squat/lunge
Upper body vertical push - Standing dumbell shoulder press

Pull - This session will hit the legs (hamstrings/glutes), back and biceps

Lower body pull - Kettlebell swing
Upper body vertical pull - Chin-up/pull-up variation
Lower body pull - Single leg deadlift variation
Upperbody horizontal pull - inverted row/bent-over row

The legs are worked more than any other muscle group as they are the foundation for all the power needed in sports. The push day and pull day focus on different muscles in the legs.

For beginners, one push session and one pull session per week would be ideal. Focus on really working on perfect technique and control before working with too much weight. Go for around 3 sets of each exercise, with 12 reps per set and aim to have around 1-2 minute’s rest between sets. The reason for the high reps and low weight in this phase is to prepare the body for the heavy training in the phases to follow. The higher reps will allow for tendons and ligaments to strengthen up, which will help to prevent injury when the loads get high. Aim to follow something like this for 4-6 weeks. Then when the body is prepared and technique is perfect, increase the weight and aim for around 4-6 reps of each exercise.

If you’re tight on time, for example you want to fit in a quick workout after your BJJ session, just choose one upper body exercise and one lower body exercise per session. For example:

Monday - Squat & dumbell chest press
Tuesday - Kettlebell Swing & pull-up
Thursday - Split squat & standing shoulder press
Friday - Single leg deadlift & inverted row

This will keep the session time down whilst ensuring you hit all muscle groups throughout the week.

If you are unsure of any of the exercises listed above, check them out on YouTube. Aim for perfect form and train with a partner where possible so you can check each other’s form.

One final note: When training, don’t train to failure! All this means is you still train heavy, but you should still be able to squeeze out 1-2 more reps on your own without a spotter. For example, if you are aiming to complete a set of 12 reps, you should be able to do 13-14 on your own in theory, but you still stop when you hit rep 12.
Training to failure will increase the recovery time needed between sessions for your muscle, nervous system and immune system, something we want to avoid when there are also skill training sessions involved.

If you have any questions, shoot them over to or ask for Jay Harper when you’re at the gym!

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